Central Michigan University, established in 1892 as a teacher's college, today offers more than 200 majors through its undergraduate, master's, specialist and doctoral degree programs. It serves more than 20,000 students at its Mount Pleasant campus and another 7,000 students pursuing degrees and certificates wholly online. CMU is one of the small number of educational institutions to hold the two highest Carnegie research classifications. CMU Online offers wholly online degree and certificate programs held in 8-, 12- and 16-week sessions. One of the nation's best online schools, CMU Online has been ranked among the best colleges for online bachelor degrees, MBA degrees, and graduate education. Distance students have full access to CMU's Online Learning Resource Center.
In the past, it was expected that students graduate high school and enter straight into a college or trade school program. Well, times have changed! Now, more than ever, nontraditional students make up a large percentage of a college’s student body. Whether they are pursuing an entirely new career path, or balancing work and family obligations, there are many options to help adult students going back to school. One of the most popular options in recent years is enrolling in online courses to earn a degree. Currently, over 3 million students are enrolled in a fully-online program, while 6 million take at least some of their classes online! Many top universities have started offering highly respectable degrees online, often at a lower cost than traditional programs. Not sure whether online or traditional classes are right for you, we cover that in depth, too!
In addition to the standard bachelor's pathways listed above, transfer students with an associate degree can follow an accelerated cohort track with the same group of students and complete their undergraduate studies in two years or less. Other available options include course clusters that combine three interrelated courses into a single 12-week term. The school offers open enrollment, so students may begin their coursework at various points throughout the calendar year.
By utilizing the University of Virginia's distance learning program, students are able to stay on top of their daily commitments while still working towards a college degree. Multiple online programs are available at various levels of study, from full bachelor degree programs to grad-level certificates. These programs can be completed with a fully-online approach, or students could choose to spend part of their time studying on campus with a hybrid program. Hybrid students will be exposed to the rich academic culture that has developed at The University of Virginia, and have the opportunity to live in modern and comfortable student housing, join one of UVA's numerous student organizations, and attend campus events.
Choosing a college major can be a life-altering decision — your future career basically depends on it. But trying to decide what industry best suits your skills and aspirations can be a difficult task. There are so many college majors to choose from, making the decision daunting and confusing if you have multiple career interests. However, it helps to know which specific jobs are available in each field.
Educators can use continuing education for license renewal, for professional development, toward endorsements and pay scale increases, and for personal growth. Our credit-bearing teacher curriculum is designed for new and seasoned educators who want to develop or reinforce their knowledge of classroom concepts and techniques, or to enhance their career.
Online courses involve email assignments, streaming video lectures, and proctored exams. In addition to the fully online programs listed above, Bama by Distance offers primarily online and blended degree options. Nontraditional students seeking a degree can also choose the New College LifeTrack option, a hybrid online and on-campus program for nontraditional students that awards degrees in four general subjects.
eCampus, our innovative learning platform, allows you to ask questions, discuss topics and collaborate with your classmates from around the world. This gives you the ability to work in teams, talk to your instructor and access course materials any time of the day or night. Your schedule will be provided to you by your Academic Advisor and can be accessed in eCampus under the Quick Links section.
While most schools prepare students for their career right after they graduate, East Carolina University prepares students for a changing world. This means that their degree programs are designed to give students the knowledge to adapt to changing fields so that they can advance throughout their life. This is particularly true for students who earn an online degree from ECU. Residents of North Carolina and students from across the nation can complete their bachelor's degree online, but what really makes ECU one of the best online colleges in the nation is their master's degree program. With dozens of degrees and focuses available at the graduate level, ECU prepares students for a long, prosperous future in their career.
Most online undergraduate degree programs and graduate programs are convenient because they give students the ability to schedule their coursework around their lives. This includes important things such as a current career, kids or other family needs. Online education may be ideal for someone who wants to switch careers, maybe wants to earn another type of degree to do so, and has to work full-time while earning that degree.
To a certain degree, online degrees have had a persistent stigma—a reputation that they are not on-par with those earned on-campus. However, the tide seems to be shifting because non-profit colleges (both private and public) have created online programs that rival those traditional degrees. In fact, a recent study shows that 76 percent of academic leaders agree that degrees taught online are equal to their on-campus counterparts.
University of the People is the world’s first non-profit, tuition-free, accredited, online American university. This school is distinctive among others on this catalog as it offers students 100% online degrees! Aside from the $60 application fee and the $100 assessment fees per course, students have a completely free college experience throughout their time at this online school. Students do not pay for books or course materials of any kind and attend tuition-free university courses online. UoPeople is partnered with many impressive companies and organizations that make the free tuition possible, such as Intel, Hewlett Packard, and Microsoft, as well as many others. The university also has partnerships with top-ranked institutions of education, such as NYU, UC Berkeley, University of Edinburgh, and the International Baccalaureate. The school has received glowing recognition from outstanding sources including BusinessWeek and The Economist. Students at this tuition-free university can enroll in associate’s, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees programs in the areas of Business Administration, Computer Science, Education, and Health Science.
Scuba divers build, inspect, and repair submerged structures, conduct experiments, rig explosives, and photograph sea creatures. The average salary is $53,990, and these jobs are projected to grow a whale-sized 37 percent between 2014 and 2024. Training to be a commercial diver requires only “a few months” at schools accredited by the Association of Commercial Diving Educators.
Duke is one of the more extensive online universities in this article, offering a pretty substantial variety of degrees. These include a Master of Science in Nursing; a Doctor of Nursing Practice; a Master of Engineering Management; a Master of Environmental Management; a Master of Business Administration; a Master of Quantitative Management in Health Analytics; a Master of Arts in Christian Practice; a Doctor of Ministry and; more than ten professional certificate programs. Some of the programs feature on-campus residencies but they are all distance-based, with many of them available entirely online. Distance learning programs at Duke are flexible but still held to the same top-ranked standards as all of the university’s programs of study.

Some online courses are self-paced, or asynchronous. In this format, students may complete their assigned readings and lectures, in addition to exams, on their own timetable — though some asynchronous courses may require weekly check-ins. Courses that are synchronous, or not self-paced, typically mirror the weekly assignment format of campus-based courses. Good online colleges offer a mix of asynchronous and synchronous pathways to accommodate students with different preferences and schedule restrictions.

OnlineSchoolsCenter.com has constructed a comprehensive list of colleges or universities that offer tuition free (or at least, almost free) degree programs to help those who wish to obtain a college education without accumulating a mountain of student debt. These programs are recommended by prestigious and respected sources, as well as, positive student reviews.

Wilmington University, located in Wilmington, Delaware, has four online Bachelor of Science in Educational Studies programs. They are in Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education K-6, Middle School Education 6-8, and in Skilled and Technical Sciences. The programs are designed for people working with children in positions that do not require licensure or certification (the programs do not lead to licensure). The curriculum combines general education with teaching skills. Wilmington has an open admissions policy and welcomes applications from interested students. Credit transfers and evaluation of prior experience for possible credit policies are generous. Sample courses include Family, Community and School Partnerships, Learner Development and Numeracy, and Multicultural Education. Online undergraduate tuition is $372 per credit.
The Center for Online Education understands online colleges have a dynamic future as new technologies and new uses for existing tools change the way we communicate, connect, and collaborate. In the coming years, virtual reality, blended program delivery, makerspaces, predictive learning platforms, gigabit Internet speeds, and other emerging technologies will push the limits of what was once thought possible at online colleges. Social media and networking sites will continue to impact online teaching and learning, providing a virtual space for authentic interaction, relationship building, and participation in professional communities. Our in-house team, and panel of contributors, are all graduates of accredited colleges and are here to help inform your online college journey.
One of the best online schools for students that want to become teachers, National University offers various degree programs at the bachelor’s and master’s level. To set itself apart, National doesn’t just offer degrees that can be completed entirely online – they also offer degrees that lead to certification, bringing students one step closer to their future career. The online schooloffers bachelor’s degrees in education that lead to licensure. For example, students can earn a bachelor’s in English education while receiving Nevada state licensure, or the same degree with credentials in California. Students can expect the same type of professional readiness from all their programs. College degrees aren’t just about becoming educated, and National University understands that the best online colleges prepare students for their career.

In 2012-2013, more than 1 out of 5 masters degrees was awarded in education. Employees in education with masters degrees earned 44 percent more than employees with bachelors degrees. In 2013, education administrators, preschool and kindergarten teachers, and elementary and middle school teachers benefited most financially from having masters degrees.

Webster University is a private nonprofit institution that offers five online bachelor's programs. These include degrees in management and data analytics through the university's School of Business and Technology and bachelor of arts tracks in media communications and religion and global society. The school also makes an RN-to-BSN pathway available for nurses. Master's degrees include options in specialized fields such as gerontology, environmental management, advertising and marketing communications, and public relations -- along with nine business-oriented programs and four teaching tracks.

Midway University, founded in 1847 by Dr. Lewis L. Pinkerton, was one of the nation's first schools to serve disadvantaged or orphaned women. Today, the coeducational Midway offers its 1,005 students over 30 academic majors in many of the region's top-demand fields of business, teacher education, nursing/healthcare, and equine studies. For distance education, Midway is among the best online colleges in the region. Students can earn their associate degree online, one of more than 20 baccalaureate degrees, or a 100-percent-online MBA, M.Ed., or MSN graduate degree. Online options for a bachelor's degree in education include more than 12 areas of specialization. Midway's Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) program may grant course credits for online students based on their work experience or career preparation outside the classroom.
The amount of a federal student loan varies by recipient. In order to qualify for federal loans, students must complete and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). On this form, students must list their family's annual income as well as their own, along with tax information and other financial details. The U.S. Department of Education uses data from the FAFSA to determine each applicant's total loan amount.

Most people assume tuition-free colleges and free online degree programs don’t really exist. Sadly, 68% of college graduates in 2015 completed their education with over $30,000 in student loan debt, and that amount has increased by almost 10% in the past two years. More and more students are starting their lives with the weight of their education bearing down on their shoulders, which shouldn’t be the case — especially while there are free options for college education through online programs at accredited online colleges.

CSU Global features a total of 26 online bachelor's and master's degrees, most of which concentrate in business-related fields. Undergraduate students choose from degrees in foundational fields such as accounting, business management, marketing, and project management. Opportunities for graduate students include degrees in advanced subjects such as healthcare administration, IT management, data analytics, and an organizational leadership executive track.